Abstract:

A method for performing utility consumption disaggregation includes
measuring a total utility consumption of a consumer during a specified
time period, generating a first disaggregated utility consumption segment
and a second disaggregated utility consumption segment, based on the
total utility consumption of the consumer, and providing the consumer
with disaggregated utility consumption statistics based on at least one
of the first and second disaggregated utility consumption segments.

Claims:

1. A computer readable storage medium embodying instructions executed by a
processor to perform a method for utility consumption disaggregation,
comprising:measuring a total utility consumption of a consumer during a
specified time period;generating a first disaggregated utility
consumption segment and a second disaggregated utility consumption
segment, based on the total utility consumption of the consumer;
andproviding the consumer with disaggregated consumer utility consumption
statistics based on at least one of the first and second disaggregated
utility consumption segments.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising
modifying behavior of the consumer based on the disaggregated consumer
utility consumption statistics.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising
generating group utility consumption statistics corresponding to a group
of consumers similar to the consumer, wherein the group utility
consumption statistics are generated based on a consumer profile
corresponding to the consumer.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein modifying the
behavior of the consumer comprises comparing the disaggregated consumer
utility consumption statistics with the group utility consumption
statistics.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising
generating a suggestion for modifying behavior of the consumer based on a
comparison of the disaggregated consumer utility consumption statistics
and the group utility consumption statistics.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the total
utility consumption includes one of water consumption or energy
consumption.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the consumer
includes a user.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising
generating group utility consumption statistics corresponding to a group
of users similar to the user, wherein the group utility consumption
statistics are generated based on a user profile corresponding to the
user, and the user profile includes at least one of a location of the
user, a size of a home of the user, or a number of people living in the
user's home.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further
comprising:generating a first category corresponding to the first
disaggregated utility consumption segment, wherein the first category
comprises first activity information, first fixture information, and
first consumption information; andgenerating a second category
corresponding to the second disaggregated utility consumption segment,
wherein the second category comprises second activity information, second
fixture information, and second consumption information,wherein the first
and second categories are generated in response to additional information
received from the user.

12. A utility consumption disaggregation system, comprising:a utility
consumption recording component configured to measure a total utility
consumption of a consumer during a specified period;a utility consumption
disaggregation component configured to generate a first disaggregated
utility consumption segment and a second disaggregated utility
consumption segment, based on the total utility consumption of the
consumer;a utility consumption statistics component configured to
generate group utility consumption statistics corresponding to a group of
consumers similar to the consumer, wherein the utility consumption
statistics are generated based on a consumer profile corresponding to the
consumer; anda utility consumption recommendation component configured to
generate a suggestion for modifying behavior of the consumer, based on a
comparison of at least one of the first and second disaggregated utility
consumption segments and the group utility consumption statistics.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001]This application claims priority to and the benefit of Provisional
Application Serial No. 61/241,669, filed on Sep. 11, 2009, the contents
of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002]1. Technical Field

[0003]The present disclosure relates to influencing consumer behavior
modification, and more particularly, to a system and method for
influencing consumer behavior modification with utility consumption
disaggregation.

[0004]2. Discussion of Related Art

[0005]Understanding human activity-related consumption helps trigger
consumer consumption behavior change. For example, utility meters are
often used to relay consumption information to users. A typical reading
from a utility meter may inform the user of his/her aggregate
consumption, which does not aid the user in determining ways to reduce
his/her consumption. Decomposing a user's aggregate consumption readings
provides the user with insight into ways to reduce his/her consumption.
For example, if a user consumes 50 gallons of water in a two hour time
period, and the user is informed that 30 gallons were used during the
first hour by a washing machine and 20 gallons were used during the
second hour by a shower, the user will have a better understanding of the
effects different fixtures and appliances have on his/her total water
consumption. Further, by providing the user with information related to
the average water consumption of similar fixtures and appliances, the
user may recognize that certain fixtures or appliances that he/she is
using are significantly above the average. Thus, the user may decide to
replace a certain fixture or device, or adjust his/her usage habits.

[0006]Therefore, a need exists for tools to provide a user with
information allowing the user to adjust his/her consumption habits.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0007]According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a
computer readable storage medium embodying instructions executed by a
processor to perform a method for utility consumption disaggregation
includes measuring a total utility consumption of a consumer during a
specified time period, generating a first disaggregated utility
consumption segment and a second disaggregated utility consumption
segment, based on the total utility consumption of the consumer, and
providing the consumer with disaggregated consumer utility consumption
statistics based on at least one of the first and second disaggregated
utility consumption segments.

[0008]According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a
utility consumption disaggregation system includes a utility consumption
recording component, a utility consumption disaggregation component, a
utility consumption statistics component, and a utility consumption
recommendation component. The utility consumption recording component is
configured to measure a total utility consumption of a consumer during a
specified period. The utility consumption disaggregation component is
configured to generate a first disaggregated utility consumption segment
and a second disaggregated utility consumption segment, based on the
total utility consumption of the consumer. The utility consumption
statistics component is configured to generate group utility consumption
statistics corresponding to a group of consumers similar to the consumer,
wherein the utility consumption statistics are generated based on a
consumer profile corresponding to the consumer. The utility consumption
recommendation component is configured to generate a suggestion for
modifying behavior of the consumer, based on a comparison of at least one
of the first and second disaggregated utility consumption segments and
the group utility consumption statistics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described
below in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0010]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the components included in a
utility consumption disaggregation system, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of utility consumption
disaggregation, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a chart displaying disaggregated utility consumption
information, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.

[0013]FIG. 4 is a user profile, according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present disclosure.

[0014]FIG. 5 is a computer system for implementing a method according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015]According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,
utility consumption may be measured and used as input to a utility
consumption disaggregation system. The utility consumption may be
measured via a utility meter such as, for example, a smart meter. A smart
meter is an advanced utility meter capable of recording utility
consumption at a specified sample rate. For example, a smart meter may
record utility consumption every minute, every 15 minutes, or every hour.
The recorded utility consumption information may be decomposed and
visually presented to a user to illustrate specific consumption
information for each activity engaged in by the user, as well as each
device, fixture, or appliance used by the user, together with statistics
of average uses. The user can use this information as a reference for
his/her consumption behavior change.

[0016]Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure now will be
described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying
drawings. This disclosure, may however, be embodied in many different
forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein.

[0017]As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the
present disclosure may be embodied as a system, method or computer
program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may take
the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software
embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or
an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all
generally be referred to herein as a "circuit," "module" or "system."
Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a
computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable
medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

[0018]Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be
utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal
medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage
medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic,
optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,
or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific
examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium
would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more
wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory
(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only
memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc
read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage
device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of
this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible
medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection
with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0019]A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data
signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example,
in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may
take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,
electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A
computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that
is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,
propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0020]Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be
transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to
wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable
combination of the foregoing.

[0021]Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the
present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more
programming languages, including an object oriented programming language
such as Java, Smalltalk, C++or the like and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar
programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the
user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or
entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the
remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network
(WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for
example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

[0022]Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below
with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to
embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of
the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of
blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be
implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program
instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose
computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing
apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute
via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in
the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

[0023]These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer
readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data
processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium
produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement
the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.

[0024]The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices
to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,
other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer
implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the
computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for
implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.

[0025]Although exemplary embodiments described herein describe utility
consumption in terms of water consumption for clarity, the present
disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the systems and methods
described in the present disclosure may be used to measure utility
consumption related to energy consumption such as, for example, natural
gas or electricity consumption, as well as other types of consumption, as
will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art. Similarly,
although exemplary embodiments described herein describe utility
consumption in terms of a user, the present disclosure is not limited
thereto. For example, the systems and methods described in the present
disclosure may be used to perform utility consumption disaggregation for
various types of consumers. A consumer may include any entity capable of
consuming resources. For example, a consumer may include, but is not
limited to, a user, a computer server farm, a wind faun or solar panels.

[0026]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the components included in a
utility consumption disaggregation system, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027]Referring to FIG. 1, the utility consumption disaggregation system
100 includes a utility consumption recording component 101, a prior
knowledge component 102, a utility consumption disaggregation component
103, a utility consumption visualization component 104, a utility
consumption statistics component 105, and a utility consumption
recommendation component 106. The utility consumption recording component
101 records the total utility consumption with a certain sample rate.
Functions performed by the utility consumption recording component 101
are described in more detail in reference to block 201 of FIG. 2. The
prior knowledge component 102 supplements the total utility consumption
information recorded by the recording component 101 with prior knowledge
(e.g., user input). Functions performed by the prior knowledge component
102 are described in more detail in reference to block 202 of FIG. 2. The
utility consumption disaggregation component 103 performs analytics and
separates the total utility consumption into smaller segments which can
be used to provide a consumer with disaggregated consumer utility
consumption statistics, or visually presented to a user. Functions
performed by the utility consumption disaggregation component 103 are
described in more detail in reference to block 203 of FIG. 2. The utility
consumption visualization component 104 visually presents disaggregated
utility consumption information to the user. Functions performed by the
utility consumption visualization component 104 are described in more
detail in reference to block 204 of FIG. 2. The utility consumption
statistics component 105 generates and presents group utility consumption
statistics corresponding to other users to the user. Functions performed
by the utility consumption statistics component 105 are described in more
detail in reference to block 205 of FIG. 2. The utility consumption
recommendation component 106 presents suggestions of how to lower utility
consumption to the user. Functions performed by the utility consumption
recommendation component are described in more detail in reference to
block 206 of FIG. 2.

[0028]FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of utility consumption
disaggregation, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure. For clarity, the flowchart is described in reference to
recording a user's water consumption, however the present disclosure is
not limited thereto. For example, as will be appreciated by one having
ordinary skill in the art, the method of utility consumption
disaggregation according to exemplary embodiments of the present
disclosure may be implemented to measure utility consumption relating to
energy such as, for example, electricity and natural gas.

[0029]Referring to FIG. 2, at block 201, utility consumption is recorded
with a certain sample rate. For example, a smart meter may be used to
record a user's water consumption at 1 minute intervals, 15 minute
intervals, or 1 hour intervals. This allows the user to specify certain
time periods corresponding to certain activities engaged in by the user.
For example, a user may designate 7:00 am to 8:00 am as the user's "lawn
watering" usage and 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm as the user's "dishwashing" usage.

[0030]At block 202, the user may supplement the utility consumption
information recorded by the smart meter at block 201 with additional
information known by the user. For example, the user may segment the
recorded water consumption information with additional information
related to certain devices, fixtures or appliances that were being used
during the specified time period. This additional information is used by
the consumption disaggregation system to classify the segmented
consumption information into categories with labels corresponding to the
device, appliance or fixture responsible for the specific utility
consumption. For example, the consumption disaggregation system may
create a first category labeled "lawn watering" which includes the water
consumption of a sprinkler, a second category labeled "before work usage"
which includes the water consumption of a shower and a running faucet, a
third category labeled "dishwashing" which includes the water consumption
of a dishwasher or a running faucet, and a fourth category labeled
"washing clothes" which includes the water consumption of a washing
machine.

[0031]At block 203, the recorded water consumption information is
disaggregated into smaller segments. For example, water consumption
during a first time period running from 7:00 am to 10:00 am and a second
time period running from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm may have been recorded at
block 201. The first time period may be disaggregated into a first
segment corresponding to 7:00 am to 8:00 am and a second segment
corresponding to 8:00 am to 10:00 am. Similarly, the second time period
may be disaggregated into a first segment corresponding to 6:00 pm to
6:30 pm and a second segment corresponding to 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

[0032]The disaggregated utility consumption information is visually
presented to the user at block 204 via, for example, a chart, graph, or
outline. An exemplary embodiment of a chart displaying disaggregated
water consumption information to a user is shown in FIG. 3. The chart 300
in FIG. 3 presents the user with the disaggregated utility consumption
segments 301, the activity 302 corresponding to each disaggregated
segments, the device(s), fixture(s), and/or appliance(s) 303 used during
each activity, and the water consumption 304 corresponding to each
disaggregated utility consumption segment.

[0033]At block 205, utility consumption statistics of other users (e.g.,
group utility consumption statistics) are obtained and presented to the
user. The group utility consumption statistics presented to the user are
based on a user profile of the user. A user profile may include
information such as, for example, the location of the user, the size of
the user's home, the number of people living in the user's home, and the
average time the user spends away from home. An exemplary embodiment of a
user profile 400 is shown in FIG. 4. Utilization of a user profile allows
the user to be presented with group utility consumption statistics
corresponding to other users having similar living conditions as the
user. For example, the water consumption of a user living alone in a
small home will be different than the water consumption of a user living
with a family in a larger home. Similarly, the water consumption of a
user who is on the road and is often away from home will be different
than the water consumption of a user who regularly spends time at home.
The user's utility consumption can be compared with the group utility
consumption statistics, allowing the user to modify his/her behavior and
reduce his/her utility consumption. For example, the water consumption
statistics presented to the user may indicate that an average user having
similar living conditions consumes 30 gallons of water when using a
sprinkler during lawn watering and only 25 gallons of water when using a
washing machine. This information alerts the user that his/her sprinkler,
which consumes 15 gallons of water, is running efficiently, but his/her
washing machine consumes about twice the amount of water as an average
user having similar living conditions. As a result, the user may decide
to replace his/her washing machine to reduce his/her water consumption.

[0034]At block 206, suggestions of how to lower utility consumption are
presented to the user. For example, the utility consumption
disaggregation system may automatically compare the disaggregated utility
consumption information from block 204 with the utility consumption
statistics of other users from block 205 and suggest actions that can be
taken by the user to reduce his/her utility consumption. For example, if
a certain device, fixture or appliance is consuming more water than an
equivalent device, fixture or appliance of an average user, a suggestion
may be made to the user to replace the certain device, fixture or
appliance. Similarly, if it is determined that the user is spending more
time on a certain activity than an average user, a suggestion may be made
to the user to modify the times spent on the certain activity.

[0035]In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, data mining
techniques may be utilized to automatically classify consumption into
different categories. Each category may be associated with a certain
activity, fixture, or appliance. In this embodiment, the user supplies
training data (e.g., records labeled by the user) to the utility
consumption disaggregation system. A classifier can then be generated
based on the training data using techniques such as, for example, SVM or
neural networks. Once the classifier is constructed, it may classify the
real-time utility consumption so that decomposed consumption is
automatically recognized. The classifier may make use of user-specified
annotations to further guide the decomposition process.

[0036]The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the
architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of
systems, methods and computer program products according to various
embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the
flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion
of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for
implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted
that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the
block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two
blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially
concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse
order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted
that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and
combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart
illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based
systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of
special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0037]More particularly, referring to FIG. 5, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer system 501 for utility
consumption disaggregation can comprise, inter alia, a central processing
unit (CPU) 502, a memory 503 and an input/output (I/O) interface 504. The
computer system 501 is generally coupled through the I/O interface 504 to
a display 505 and various input devices 506 such as a mouse and keyboard.
The support circuits can include circuits such as cache, power supplies,
clock circuits, and a communications bus. The memory 503 can include
random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), disk drive, tape
drive, etc., or a combination thereof The present invention can be
implemented as a routine 507 stored in memory 503 (e.g., a non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium) and executed by the CPU 502 to process
the signal from the signal source 508. As such, the computer system 501
is a general-purpose computer system that becomes a specific purpose
computer system when executing the routine 507 of the present invention.

[0038]The computer platform 501 also includes an operating system and
micro-instruction code. The various processes and functions described
herein may either be part of the micro-instruction code or part of the
application program (or a combination thereof) which is executed via the
operating system. In addition, various other peripheral devices may be
connected to the computer platform such as an additional data storage
device and a printing device.

[0039]Having described embodiments for a system and method for utility
consumption disaggregation, it is noted that modifications and variations
can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above
teachings. It is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in
exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, which are within the scope and
spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Having thus
described the invention with the details and particularity required by
the patent laws, what is claimed and desired protected by Letters Patent
is set forth in the appended claims.